Tag Archives: Best Practices

As an alternative to demolition, you may find a deconstruction company in your area that can take apart buildings and divert up to 90 percent of materials from landfills to reuse. You may also save money by selling or receiving a tax deduction from donating the used building materials. Endeavor to use treatment technologies that are designed to keep waste generation down.

Above: Construction waste is segregated and stockpiled for re-use on other sites

Current figures show that the UK recycles more of its construction and demolition (C&D) waste than most other EU countries. Some projects have recorded landfill diversion rates of more than 90% while the overall average rate in 2012 was a respectable 66.4%. That average rate is predicted to increase to 75.5% by 2020. An optimistic estimate, maybe, but still in line with the Waste Framework Directive which set a 2020 recycling rate target of 70% (by weight) for re-use, recycling and other recovery of C&D waste.

The St. Louis Region and the Midwest are blessed with open space and low tipping fees, which means that it is easy to overlook where our generated residential and commercial waste ends up. Despite this, many contractors and owners are looking for ways to divert materials from our landfills – through reuse, recycling and smart planning. With support from St. Louis Jefferson Solid Waste Management, USGBC-Missouri Gateway recently conducted two small research projects to learn more about the C&D credits in the next version of the LEED Green Building Rating System (LEEDv4) and to study some of the more difficult to C&D materials to reuse and recycle.

Join us for a free educational panel on Construction & Demolition Materials hosted by USGBC-Missouri Gateway and the Associated General Contractors of St. Louis on the State of Construction & Demolition Recycling in St. Louis. The panel will include a discussion of the recent USGBC-Missouri Gateway research projects as well as two local case studies – one on opportunities for C&D diversion on a Washington University project and the second on Deconstruction as an alternative to demolition.

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“ReclamationAdministration.com has been a valuable resource for me throughout the City’s efforts to advance deconstruction and building material reuse. The coverage of issues in the salvage industry are always timely and are easy to share with stakeholders.”